Question: Jesus—who had no sin (Hebrews 4:15)—is said to be “perfected” (Hebrews 2:10). I can’t understand what Jesus was missing. What was still imperfect in him? Answer: The word translated as “perfect” from the Greek in the New Testmanet is teleos or teleon. This word is not identical to the English word “perfect.” It has […]
Question: What is the meaning of “All Israel will be saved” in Romans 11:26? Does it teach that every single Israelite will be saved? If some Israelites are lost (for example Judas Iscariot) why did Paul say “All Israel will be saved”? Maybe Paul it referring to a future event in which every single member […]
Question: If Jeremiah 33 15 says that Messiah will sprout up in the days of Israel’s restoration doesn’t this contradict the time of Christ’s appearance? Answer: The timing and meaning of a prophecy is determined by the context. Besides, many of the restoration prophecies in both Jeremiah and Ezekiel are what I call “double prophecies.” […]
Question: Question: If Jeremiah 33 15 says that Messiah will sprout up in the days of Israel’s restoration, doesn’t this contradict the time of Christ’s appearance Answer: The timing and meaning of a prophecy is determined by the context. Besides, many of the restoration prophecies in both Jeremiah and Ezekiel are what I call “double […]
Request: I had a conversation with someone who knocked on my door from a “nondenominational” church. They meet on Saturdays. Can you point me in the right direction to figure out why meeting on Saturdays matter? Response: The answer is that meeting on Saturday does not matter. Christians can meet on Saturday or on Sunday […]
Question: I am trying to understand how the early Christians viewed the Sabbath, how the non-Sabbath keepers justified a neglect of the fourth commandment and particularly if we can really be clear that God doesn’t intend for us to continue upholding the seventh day as a day of rest (doing no work, also taking into consideration […]
Question: Do you believe homosexuality is a sin? I read an article that discusses the use of the term homosexuality in the New Testament and how it had a completely different meaning when it was written. The article argued that homosexuality in the terms of two people loving each other didn’t exist back then and […]
Question: Mark 14:51 – What is the significance of this verse? Answer: The story about the young man losing his clothes seems a surprisingly insignificant detail to include in the Gospel of Mark. This has caused many to wonder why Mark included it (including you!). The most reasonable answer I have heard is that this […]
Question: I have a question. In a recent video that I saw, an atheist argued that the Bible teaches that Christians are to have a hostile and distasteful attitude toward nonbelievers. He cites 2 John 1:9-11 as evidence of this claim which says, “Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching […]
Question: How can free will exist if God is omnipotent? Answer: First of all, I assume you are asking about free will in light of God’s sovereignty, not his omnipotence. I see no logical problem in God being all-powerful preventing him from using his power to create a sentient being with free will. I know […]
[Editor’s note: I received a long and somewhat rambling set of comments and questions from someone. I asked for a more succinct set of comments and questions so that I could respond. You will see below that the shorter version is still a bit unfocused, but this person asks sufficiently important questions that I felt […]
Question: I believe the Holy Spirit is a person and I believe Jesus was conceived through the Holy spirit, but someone who thinks the Holy Spirit is not a person could ask me this question and I cannot find an answer..please help me ! The reasoning is this: If the Holy Spirit is a person of […]
Question: Some people think that Jesus was begotten by the father only at his resurrection because the apostle Paul said about Jesus that he was appointed Son of God by His resurrection ( Romans 1 – or the speech of Paul in the Act of the Apostle). I’m currently reading the Bart Erhman’s book “How Jesus […]
Question: Is Malachi 3:1 calling Jesus Christ a Messenger or a Angel of the covenant? Answer: First of all, Malachi 3:1 is about John the Baptist, not about Jesus. Like John said about himself, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’” (John 1:23) In Matthew […]
Question: My friend has argued that needing to be baptized with water to receive salvation is a false doctrine. Her argument is based on the idea that the baptism Jesus established is entirely spiritual- a baptism of the Holy Spirit- and baptism with water is only a “work” one does out of obedience after one […]
Question: I know the story in Genesis 38:8-10 is not talking about masturbation. I know some people call masturbation Onanism, even though the scripture is clearly not talking about this. However, could this scripture be used to forbid the use of condoms and contraceptives? Is continuing the family line not a moral obligation as it […]
Question: In reading the account of woman’s creation in KJV, NIV, ESV, etc. she is mentioned as being formed out of Adam’s ribs, however the direct Hebrew translation is not ribs but “Angular Organ(s)”. Also, the Hebrew word “adm” is used when referring to “human, person, or man” and “Adam”. So my questions are 1) […]
Question: Is Isaiah 25:6-8 a dual prophecy – of the resurrection of Christ and of the second coming of Christ? The background of the question is the parable of the great banquet in Luke 14. I have read in Kenneth Baileys book “Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels” that the Jews believed […]
Question: Since I want follow Jesus I wonder how to deal with certain situations. Jesus said that we must not refuse to give to anyone who ask us to give them something. (Matthew 5:39). What if we are asked to give a bribe? Also, many beggars ask for money as a way of life without […]
Question: Regarding 2 Cor 12:1-7 many people believe that Paul went to the third heaven. But why would Paul speak in the third person here? Isn’t this his own experience? I have difficulty to believe Paul was saying he himself went to heaven because He wrote in the third person seemingly speaking of someone else. […]
Question: Please help me to understand this apparent contradiction. Jesus said that we must observe every detail of the commandments and precepts of the law of Moses. Jesus said in Matthew 5:19: ” Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the […]
Question: I have recently seen someone try to argue that God has no problem with men raping women. They used a few scriptures to “support” this opinion and each one was unfaithfully paraphrased. However upon looking at these scriptures I noticed that Deuteronomy 22:25 says the man should be put to death, but in verse […]
Question: Is PSALM 14 7 ” someone out of zion ” or “salvation out of zion” Answer: The Hebrew word in question here is yeshua. It is the word translated as salvation in most Bibles, which is the word equivalent of the names Joshua and Jesus, both of which are yeshua in Hebrew. The word Jesus means salvation. […]
Question: Proverbs 31:6-7 says, “Give beer to one who is dying and wine to one whose life is bitter. Let him drink so that he can forget his poverty and remember his trouble no more.” http://bible.com/1713/pro.31.6-7.csb Isn’t this scripture encouraging alcoholism? Answer: Given scriptures such as Eph 5:18, Rom 13:13, 1 Pet 4:3, Is […]
[Editor’s note: This is a follow-up question to one posted just yesterday from the same gentleman. The second question was actually dozens of questions–so much that I informed him I will only answer one of them for now, which is the one below. However, one book recommendation and one scripture reference in my answer only […]
Question: I stumbled across one of your posts from back in 2012 on Acts 15 (link below) where you’re answering the question “can Christians eat meat?” If I understand correctly your interpretation is that the early church asked the gentile believers to abstain from practices that would especially offend Jews in that culture, but this […]
[Editor’s note: This is obstensibly a Christian evidence web site, but I have gotten a LOT of questions about baptism lately for some reason. Apologies to those who find this topic not important] Question: I wanted to get some feedback on the scripture in regards to baptism. If baptism is necessary for salvation, why would Paul […]
Question: It is written in the Bible that God never changes. But when you look at the Old and New Testament, God seems to be quite different in the two testaments. It is written that Jesus has always existed. So is it correct to say that God was not changing himself from what He was […]
Question: I have read several of your books that are available as eBooks and I have learned a lot from them. I look forward to the Christian Story Part 3. I have just finished From Shadow to Reality and have a question. This book answered many questions in an area I didn’t know much about before […]
Question: In Leviticus God tells the Jews not to eat winged insects which fly. Why, then, did John the Baptist eat unclean locusts and honey in the desert? Answer: About locusts being clean, Leviticus 11:20-23 addresses this issue. This passage declares all flying insects as unclean with the exception of those which walk and hop […]
Question: Did the second coming of Jesus Christ occur invisibly in 1914, as claimed by the Jehovah Witness organization? Answer: The Jehovah Witness group is obviously wrong on this claim. The claim that Jesus came back in 1914 is clearly wrong biblically. If you look at the history of this claim, it will become even […]
Question: What is the best way to study the Bible in depth? Do I have to learn Hebrew or even Greek? Answer: There is no single “best” way to study the Bible. Many different approaches can be helpful. You definitely do NOT have to know either Greek or Hebrew to have a very in-depth knowledge […]
Question: Is the message below a correct understanding of the scripture with regard to a rapture/gathering of God’s people? [Editor’s note: A fairly lengthy and somewhat incoherent set of claims about a premillennial rapture is below. Normally, we would not put such stuff out there, but there are sufficient people who find themselves believing this […]
Question: If I understand correctly, God’s will is not always done. This is implied in the Lord’s prayer (in which Jesus prays, “your will be done”). To complete my understanding, we are also given the free will which may sometimes triumph over God’s will. When this happens and God allows it, I would assume that […]
Question: You said that there are several examples in the Bible in which God says that something is forever, yet the thing is replaced by something else. You claim that this is because the meaning of the word often translated as “forever” in the Bible means “forever, or until the end of the age.” Can […]
Question: My question is about the book of Song of Songs. This book is always criticized by Muslims. They say that it is a sexy book especially chapter 7. Solomon describes the breasts, thighs… etc. Can this be the word of God? Christian apologists in my country always say that this book can’t be interpreted literally. It […]
Question: What do you think about the claim below about the cry from the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” by the author Al Hsu below? The Cry of Vindication By Al Hsu When the Jesus film is screened in cultures that have never heard of Jesus, viewers often love the […]
Questions: Why are there so many translations of the Bible and why are there so many denominations? Did God actually walk the earth with Adam and Eve? Answers: You are asking three different questions, with very different answers. The reason there are so many translations into English is, quite simply, because there is a market […]
Question: What is the meaning of the old and the new wineskins in Luke 5:33-39? Answer: In Luke 5:33-39, Jesus is talking about the Kingdom of God, and its specific realization in the church. The “old wineskin” is a metaphor for the Old Covenant, or it is the Jews who follow the Law of Moses, […]
Question: How many disciples followed Jesus at the peak of His ministry? Or more precisely, how many were there at the time of John 6:66? “After hearing this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him” Answer: That will depend on what you mean by “disciple” and by what you mean […]
Question: Is all food clean? Did Jesus declare all food clean? In mark7:18-19 it seems to say Jesus made all food clean but I was told that in the Niv that sentence was added on to the scripture, I wanted to know is this scripture telling us that all food was clean. Answer: The simple […]
Question: I have a question regarding Jesus as being God. It is clearly stated in the Gospel of John, and in some of the epistles that Jesus is God as well as the Son of God. But after some research I found that the reliability of the Gospel of John and of those epistles are […]
Question: What’s presumptive sin? Answer: Do you mean presumptuous sin? I assume that you are using the term presumptive and presumptuous interchangeably, but let me know if I am not correct. I had heard of this term, but had never given much time to considering the definition or implications. So…. I did some research and […]
Question: Since Jesus lived under the Hebrew calendar, does this imply that our “Sunday” begins on Saturday evening and the Lord’s Supper should be observed at that time? After all, when the church was established in Acts, they all lived under the Hebrew calendar. Since most Christians today have their Sunday services on the actual day […]
Question: Have been doing some thinking about this whole area of science and the bible. Is it theologically/biblically sound to believe that although Adam and Eve were certainly the first man and woman made by God, they may not have been the only. the reason I say this is because in Genesis 2, two lands […]
Question: I believe that in Revelation 13 the sea beast is Japan and earth beast is the USA. The “Dragon” is the U.S. aircraft carriers. Crowns and horns are the Japanese automobile/truck industry. “Blasphemous names” are the essential design of the autos and are alike among their “corporations” forming an unequal balance to the remaining […]
Question: At your website, I read your answer to the question “Why does the Bible mention Jesus’ geneology from Joseph’s side when Joseph is not His father?” In your answer, you say that Luke gives a genealogy from Joseph’s side since the Greeks prefer the father’s side and Matthew wrote from Mary’s side for the […]
Question: Who was God speaking about when he said “let us make mankind in our image” who is “us” and did God intend for us to be gods like him. Answer: Good question. There are three theories concerning the use of the plural here. 1. God is using the “royal we” (or more accurately us) It […]
Question: If God forgives our sins at baptism, why does 1 John 1:9 say we are forgiven of our sins by confessing? Answer: 1 John 1:9 does not say that we are forgiven of our sins by confessing. This is an incorrect interpretation of this passage. What John is saying is that “If we walk […]
Question: How can I understand the meaning when the Lord’s Prayer says- lead us not into temptation. This is confusing to me because of what James 1:13-15 suggests, which is that God does not tempt us. The Lord’s prayer seems to clearly say Jesus is telling us to ask God, “Please don’t lead us into […]
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